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When you’re travelling in a car during summer in Australia, it’s a common sight to see 4WD enthusiasts customising their cars with DIY and budget-friendly tools that can help their car's air conditioning in the heat and harsh terrain.
And though most road authorities are understanding of the sweltering heat, Queensland Police is warning local drivers to avoid using this popular car accessory or risk facing a near $400 fine and further penalties.
According to local police, officers said they’ve noticed a “growing trend” of motorists using reflective covers on the windows of the car, which is considered illegal in the state.
State officials said drivers who use reflective window covers while driving are in violation of Road Rule 297, which clearly states, “A driver must not drive a motor vehicle unless the driver has a clear view of the road, and the traffic ahead, behind and to each side of the driver”.
In addition to the $389 fine, Queensland Police said any offenders can face further penalties if they’re caught driving around with reflective covers on their vehicle.
“The vehicle may also be deemed defective, as no reflectorised material can be displayed on a vehicle, this includes increasingly popular reflectorised dashboard covers,” Queensland Police said in a February 2026 media statement.
Additionally, the road authority said it’s “seeing a rise in vehicles with tinted windscreens, a modification also deems a vehicle defective”.
According to the Australian Design Rules – a mandatory set of legislation for new cars in Australia – windscreens on cars must have a Visible Light Transmittance (VLT) of 70 per cent or greater.
In a nutshell, VLT is the minimum amount of light that can pass through a car's windscreen, and any vehicles that fall under the legal requirement can technically be in violation of the country's laws.
It’s worth noting you can have a section of the windscreen – called a sun strip – that’s under 70 per cent VLT, though these are only legal at the top 10 per cent of the windscreen or above the wiper arc area.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
